Apparatus for the production of a thin sheet or mat from glass fibres



April 5, 1960 Filed July '7,- 1953 W. SCHULLER APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A THIN SHEET OR MAT FROM GLASS FIBRES Fig.l

2 Sheets-Sheet April 5, 1960 w. SCHULLER 2,931,421

- APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A THIN SHEET 0R MAT FROM GLASS FIBRES Filed July 7, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.7

nited States Patent APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUQTION OF A THIN SHEET OR MAT FROM GLASS FIBRES Werner Schuller, Alsager, England Application July 7, 1953, Serial No. 366,585 Claims priority, application Germany May 4, 1950 4 Claims. (Cl. 154-47) The present case is a continuation-in-part of'my copending application Serial No. 223,869, filed May 1, 1951, now abandoned.

It is known in one method in the manufacture of a sheeting from glass fibers on a pervious support to form liquid glass or like masses into threads or fibres by means of a gaseous medium, and to deposit the threads or fibres thus formed directly on the pervious support, provided at a position beneath the position of production. In another method, the threads or fibres formed by a flow of steam are carried away by the stream and are deposited on a pervious support at a position remote from the position of production. Apart from the uncertainty of the liquid glass streams emerging from fine and easily obstructed jets into threads or fibres, it is also difficult to produce glass fibres of completely uniform strength and thickness, and in this known process a uniform distribution of the fibres for larger widths of sheeting cannot be obtained. The fleece or sheeting thus formed is therefore of uneven quality throughout its width. Furthermore, the process is expensive due to the type of production jets used, and due to the fact that the jets and the fiow of production must be constantly and closely watched. To this must also be added the cost of the threador fibre-forming medium. It is known subsequently to impregnate with a liquid and dry the mat. The disadvantages referred to are not, however, avoided.

According to the invention, in a process for the continuous production of glass fibre sheets from glass threads or fibres drawn ofi by mechanical means and passed through a bath, dried and advantageously densified, the peripheral current of air skimmed off by scrapers from the rotating draw-oft drum serves over the width of the drum as a means for causing the fibres to be freed from the drum, and pressure with free flow to deposit uniformly, and in matted form, on a stationary wall which is pervious-to air, whence a fleeceis drawn ofi, in given cases moisture being withdrawn from the fieece by partial vacuum after its impregnation, and prior to the drying process.

By using a draw-oft drum for the production of the threads or fibres a considerable uniformity of strength and thickness is ensured, and high efiiciency in operation is obtained, due to the great drawing-off speed possible. Due to the air current of the rotating drum being utilised, the cost of providing a forming stream for the threads or fibres, for example, a flow stream, is dispensed with. By permitting the fibres to deposit with free flow at the base of the wall or screen, it is ensured that the threads or fibres formed over the width of the draw-off drum, are deposited uniformly over this width, so that they are thus also uniformly distributed in the mat or sheet. The process is also cheap for the reason that it requires comparatively little attention or supervision.

The process according to the invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the drawing drum and of ice means for ensuring adherence of the filaments on the drum;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a device for the produc tion of a thin mat or sheeting according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modification;

Figure 4 is a partial side elevation of a further modification;

Figures 5 to 8 are plan views of four modifications given by way of example of products produced according to the process of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, in the production of the mat or sheeting, the glass which is in a plastic condition in a small electrically heated furnace 2 of special construction, or from any other suitable source of molten glass supply, is drawn out into single filaments a mechanically by means of a rapidly rotating drum 3, the drawing speed being approximately 6,000 to 12,000 feet per minute. The filaments may, for example, be drawn from glass rods 1.

On starting the operation, the glass drop falls by gravity on to or towards the periphery of the rotating drum 3. On its passage to the drum the filament passes rollers 4a, 4b, and 4c. The roller 4a presses against the filament a and against theintermediate roller 4b whilst the roller 4b bears against the third roller 40 whichdips into an oil bath 5, so that each filament is covered with a fine film of oil. The oil may consist either of an .organic or inorganic substance, and may be used in solution with another liquid.

The roller 4a presses against the filaments a so as to cause the filaments a to incline slightly from the vertical by about 2 to 4 in the direction of the vertical axis through the centre of the drum 3. The roller 4a may be rotatable or may be a fixed roller. Both types operate efiectively. The rollers 41) and 40 may rotate at a slow speed.

It requires about 3 to, 4 ounces of oil in the manufacture of between 6 and 7 pounds of glass filaments per hour.

The glass drop at the end of each filament, at the start of the operation, falls on the periphery of the drum 3 and is carried away and through a slot 6 provided in a cover 7 which extends partly around the periphery of the drawing drum 3. The glass threads or fibres are'separated from the draw-off drum 3 by a scraper 8. 9V is a reversing device by which the wind of rotation of the drum flowing in the direction of the arrow A, and carrying the separated fibres, is reversed to blow in the direction indicated by the arrow'B, so that the fibres are carried with free flow against a guide wall 10 at the bottom of which they are deposited in even matted form. Thewall 10 is pervious to air. 11 is a conveyor belt, 12 is a conveyor roller'provided above the belt. Both the belt 11 andthe conveyor 12 draw the mat or sheet 0 through a small slit 10a beneath the guide wall 10, where it accumulates, and guide .it from the conveyor belt into an impregnating container 13,

which contains an impregnating liquid, for. example starch, latex compounds, synthetic resin compounds or the like. 14 is an immersion member for immersing the mat, or, sheet, for example over a length of approximately 4 10 to 25 cm. The mat or sheet passes beneath the member 14 and over a guide roller 15 to two conveyor belts 16, 17 andadvantageously consisting of mesh wire or the like, and which serve to draw the mat or sheet from the impregnating container 13 in the direction of the arrow C, guiding it to a drying chamber 18 through which the conveyor belts 16 and 17 pass.

Instead of an upper conveyor belt 16, individual 'con' veyor rollers may be provided.

The conveyor belts 16 and 17 are advantageously driven at a speed which is slightly greater than the materials, of synthetic resin speed of the conveyor belt 11, so that a certaintension is created in the mat or sheet and the formation of creases avoided. A suction device for example a box 19, connected to a partial vacuum source,- 1may beadvantageously providedat a position in front of the drying .chamber 18, so that a large amount of the moisture present in the mat or sheet is drawn olf, for example 70%. Thus the length of the drying chamber, and the .duration of drying, are considerably reduced.

of increasing the roughness of thesurface. These substances are advantageously such as have the properties of, or similar properties as, the layers to be joined in the mat or sheet. 21 is a'windingroller, on which the finished mat or sheet d thus formedis wound after drying. 22 is a cutting devicewhich, when desired, is

inserted in front of the winding roller 21lfor cutting the selvedges of the sheeting,

In the'modification accordingtofth'e invention a'sillustrated in Figure 3, a number of bobbins 23iand 23a, and guide members 24 and 24affare advantageously provided at any desired position near the position-(10a) where the glass fibres or threads accumulate, and which introduce glass fibres or yarns,'slivers 'or glass fibre strips 25 and 25a, into the mat or sheet 'in'the longitudinal direction during the process of production. and 24 effect this from above, and thememb'ers 23a and 24a from below. V

In the construction according to Figure 4, a thread guide device 26 is provided which moves to and 'fro' along the width of the sheeting. This device may be constructed similarly to a weavers shuttle, and'in this case may contain a bobbin for a weft-thread .or weftyarn, a sliver, or a strip of glass, threador glass fibre.

The members 23 3 made of staple introduction of the reinforcingthreads is not limited to the position where the mat or sheet is pro duced as hereinbefore described; thus the reinforcing threads may be introduced at any position in the process of production if, for any reason, this may be more advantageous. f .i

Due to the reinforcement of the mat or sheet, the impregnating process in the impregnating container 13 may in some cases, be dispensed with.

One great advantage of the process according to the invention is that, for example. when thefinished mat or sheet is used as an insulating mat or insulating wrapping, or as a support for plastic'masses and-synthetic substances, it is possible to use a very thin mat or sheet of glass fibres as the starting material, which is just as cheap as muslin and cheaper than jute fabric to make, the reinforcement of which increases the tensile strength of the finished product several times; thus the finished product is far superior to these jute fabrics or wrappings of other material.

' I claim:

1. Apparatus for the continuous production of a sheet glass fibres, comprising a source of molten glass, means for ,forming filaments from said molten glass, means for passing a plurality of separate filaments from said source on the peripheral surface of a drum, means for rotating the drum at high speed and scraper member'lying adjacent the peripheral-surface of said drum which in conjunction with the current of air caused by the rotation of the drum, raises the'filaments from the surface of the drum and cuts the filaments into staple fibres, a perforated screen on which the fibres are carried The in unrestricted and uncontrolled current of air where r they collect in matted form,

Several bobbins 27 may' be provided which feed the threads 28 to the reciprocally moving thread guiding device. According to the speed of the reciprocal motion'of the thread guiding device, transverse reinforcements are formed on the fleece or sheeting accordingjto the desired purpose for which the fleece or sheeting is required. If a weft bobbin with a thread ismoved at great speed to and fro as in a loom, a fabric-like pattern is formed as illustrated in Figure 6, bywhich the fleece is ro: vided with added strength in the longitudinal and transverse directions. If the threadguiding device is moved to and fro more slowlyfa patt ern as shown in Figure 7 is formed. If a number of threads 28d'are used, a pattern is produced as shownin Figure '8. In both types less importance is attached -tostrength in the transverse direction than to the possibility of stretching the mat or sheet in the longitudinal direction. The reinforcement of the mat or sheet is not limited to the reinforcing threads positioned as hereinbefore described, the fibre may assume other positions, or additional layers of threads may be introduced into the sheet as indicated by the-"threads 29 shown in dotted lines in Figure '8 'of the drawings.

If 'a plurality of threads are introduced simultaneously from above and from below by reciprocally moving thread guide devices, it is possible to lay the threads in such manner, that the thread position on the underside is opposite to that on the topsurface. l Instead of glass fibre, threads 'of asbestos,;of textile or the like may also be used for the reinforcement.

belt conveyor means beneath such screen on which the said fibres deposit under gravity from said screen, and an impregnating bath through which the mat is conveyed and a drying chamber through which the impregnated mat is passed.

2. Apparatus according'to claim 1, including vacuum means for removing a high percentage of the "moisture of the fibres after the sheeting leaves the impregnating bath and before the sheeting is passed to'the drying chamber;

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for disposing glass fibres with their major axes aligned in a generally longitudinal direction with respect to themat formed.

7 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, for guiding said glass fibres in a zigzag including means fashion.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNTTED, STATES PATENTS 1,811,416 Williams June 23, 1931 2,152,901 Manning Apr. 4, 1939 2,215,150 Hannen Sept. 17, 1940 2,314,944 Lamesch Mar. 30, 1943 2,460,899 Modigliani et al. Feb. 8,1949 2,504,744 Sproull et al Apr. 18, 1950 2,528,091 Slayter Oct. 31, 1950 2,584,517 Verreet Feb. 5, 1952 2,621,444 Schuller Dec. I6, 1952 2,639,759 Simison May 26, .1953 2,648,876 Phillips et a1 Aug. 18, 1953 2,653,416 Slayter Sept. 29, 1953 2,732,885 Van Der Hoven Jan..'31, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS I France Dec. 28,1912 

